ScotlandsPeople Network
What do I need to know before I start?
The records are varied, and depending on your search you may need:
- name of the person
- when they were born, lived, married or died
- where they were born, lived, married or died
- religion
What records can I find in the Mitchell: Registrars?
UPDATE: 7 APRIL 2022:
We are happy to announce the re-opening of our family history centre in the Mitchell Library.
The centre will open Monday and Tuesday only from 9 May 2022. It will also be open one Saturday per month from 2 July 2022, with the exception of Public Holidays.
Our booking diary will re-open on Monday 11 April. Spaces will be by strict appointment only and bookings can be made by calling 0141 287 8364.
For more information and updates, please see the Registrars website
Accessing the ScotlandsPeople network through the Registrars allows you to explore the most comprehensive collection of Scottish vital records. This is the best option if you are just starting your family history research - or need to do lots of digging - and lets you really delve into records dating back almost 500 years. Using the network through the Registrars gives you access to images of more recent records that are not available offsite through the ScotlandsPeople website.
You can access the ScotlandsPeople network in the Registrars on payment of a daily fee. This includes access to digital images and a full index of the following records for all of Scotland:
Civil registration records
- births, deaths and marriages, 1855 to present
- divorces, 1984 to present
- civil partnership indexes, 2005 to present
- ‘minor’ records of births, deaths and marriages of Scots abroad which are recorded in foreign returns, service returns, war returns and marine registers
Old Parish Registers
- births, baptisms, deaths and marriages, 1538 - 1854
Catholic Parish Registers
- births and baptisms, 1703 – 1913
- marriages, 1703 – 1938
- deaths (including burials at St Peter’s, Dalbeth and Mount Vernon, Edinburgh), 1703 – 1963
Census returns, 1841 – 1911
Valuation rolls for all of Scotland, 1895, 1905, 1915, 1920
Wills and testaments, 1513 – 1925
Soldiers' wills, 1857 - 1966
Military Service Appeals Tribunal records, 1916 - 1918
For more information on each of the above record types please see the relevant related guides.
What records can I see online?
Images of many of these records can be purchased on the ScotlandsPeople website, although please note that there are restrictions on more recent records. This website includes images of births up to 1913, marriages to 1938 and deaths to 1963. Charges apply.